You might be one of those people who try to take on everything at work, plus everything at home. But this could actually be doing more harm than good. Instead, try focusing on just the right things – we will show you how. Not only will this help you become more productive, but you will also be happier as a result.
Enjoy!
Vincent Scaramuzzo
3 Steps to Improving Productivity (and Happiness)
Everyone wants to get more done in less time – even Education Recruiting Firms. One would think that, with all of the smart technology and automation we have today, we would have more personal time than ever. Instead, it seems that we are working more, while feeling less motivated.
One way to increase not only your productivity, but overall happiness is to outsource tasks in both your professional and personal life. So many people feel that they are the only ones who can do what they do well. Then there is another group that feels that it is easier or less expensive to just do things themselves. If you fall into one of these two categories, you are probably sacrificing time and energy that could be better spent with family and friends or doing the things you love.
There are three steps to determining what should be outsourced in your life.
- Complete an Activity Inventory – Grab two separate pads of paper, one you will keep on your desk at work and one for home. Write down everything you do in the course of a week. For the home inventory, have everyone in your household contribute to the list. No task is too insignificant.
- Assign a Feeling to Each Task – At the end of the week, label each item as Motivating, Just Ok, Annoying, or Dreaded. When analyzing the home activity inventory, ask each contributor to label the tasks based on their personal feelings.
- Begin Outsourcing – Any items that are Dreaded should be immediately outsourced, if possible. At work, this could mean delegating to someone on your team or hiring an assistant. Next, work on outsourcing Annoying tasks, followed by the Just Ok tasks. At home, you may find a Dreaded task for you is Just Ok to another family member. Take the opportunity to redistribute who takes care of specific chores.
Outsourcing tasks at work may feel like a drain on revenue. However, if you dread sending out agendas, setting appointments, or following up on past due invoices, outsourcing these tasks to a virtual assistant will liberate more time for you to focus on the revenue-producing work that truly excites you. At our Higher Education Search Firm we have started doing this.
For some people, there may be a certain stigma to hiring a landscaper or housekeeper. However, if you are consistently missing out on time with your family, or feel that you have no time to relax, not doing so can negatively impact both your personal and professional life.
Sure, maybe you can do everything, but should you? Everyone has a unique set of Motivating, Just Ok, Annoying, and Dreaded tasks. What motivates you may be something that another person dreads – so take these tasks on yourself. And, by the same token, why not give someone who is motivated by your dreaded tasks the same opportunity?
Have you noticed the amount of applicants applying to your postings decreasing? Has a candidate decided not to relocate at the last minute? The competition for exceptional talent is at a fever pitch right now. If your interview funnel has been less than satisfactory and your pool of qualified talent is drying up I invite you to a complimentary consultation on how to attract great talent on a consistent basis AND how to procure them so you don’t lose them to competing offers. Reply to this email to schedule. I promise that in our call together you will leave with 2 or 3 ideas that will greatly impact your ability to find, attract, and procure the top 10-15% of the candidate pool on a consistent basis.
Vincent Scaramuzzo is the President of Ed-Exec, Inc. A leading Education Executive Search Firm. He is also a contributing author to various education publications. As a specialist in the education field for over a decade, Scaramuzzo works nationally. He can be contacted at vincent@ed-exec.com 860-781-7641.
*Not all articles are original works of Vincent Scaramuzzo or Ed-Exec, Inc.*